


Dark Paradise

by lavieboheme0919



Series: Gods And Monsters [2]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alpha Derek Hale, Angst and Humor, Astral Projection, Family Drama, M/M, Magic-Users, Magical Stiles Stilinski, Original Character(s), Pack Bonding, Pack Dynamics, Pack Family, Prophecy, Prophetic Dreams, Protective Siblings, References to Knotting, Siblings, Teenage Rebellion, Voodoo doll
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-28
Updated: 2020-09-03
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:47:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,781
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24954775
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lavieboheme0919/pseuds/lavieboheme0919
Summary: A Sequel to Gods and MonstersYears after the conclusion of Gods and Monsters, Aria and Gabe are in college and Kellen is in high school. His angsty teenage years are wrecking havoc on the peacefulness of the Hale Household. Between wrangling a hormonal teen and teaching him how to control his magic, Stiles has his hands full. However when Stiles and Derek learn of a prophesy surrounding their youngest child, they must call on old friends to help them protect everyone they know and love.More tags will be added as the story continues. Also minimally beta'd so forgive any errors. Chapter 2 contains visual representations of the Hale kids
Relationships: Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski
Series: Gods And Monsters [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1806118
Comments: 4
Kudos: 9





	1. Joys of Parenthood

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LittleRedRidingHale](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleRedRidingHale/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Gods and Monsters](https://archiveofourown.org/works/9665492) by [lavieboheme0919](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lavieboheme0919/pseuds/lavieboheme0919). 



> Just a reminder, this is a sequel, so you may need to read Gods and Monsters first for context of the world in which we find ourselves for this story.

Stiles tapped his fingers on the marble countertop as he listened to the principal on the other end of the phone line. “Thank you for letting us know, Principal Hedstrom. We’ll take care of it.” Magic crackled in the air around Stiles as he hung up the phone and set it down. His husband, Derek, was standing at the kitchen sink drying some dishes with a towel.

“Is it Kellen again?”

“Yup.”

“What did he do this time?”

“He graffitied the ceiling of the school cafeteria with a rather unflattering meme of the assistant vice principal who gave him detention last week. The principal has no idea how he managed to do it which can only mean that he used magic,” Stiles replied. “Because this is his third major incident in a two-week period, he has been suspended.”

Derek let out a sigh. “He is so far beyond grounded… what has gotten into him?”

Stiles shrugged hopelessly and shook his head. “I don’t know. He’s become so closed-off and rebellious. Aria and Gabe were never this bad… and they had to deal with puberty and full moons simultaneously.”

“Do you think we unbound his powers too soon?” Derek asked cautiously.

Stiles sucked air through his teeth and exhaled deeply through his nose. “I’ve been thinking that, too. I’ve even considered summoning Peter to ask him to intervene in some way.”

“No!” Derek’s response was as forceful as it was decisive. “We can’t run to him whenever Kellen gets out of control.”

They spent the rest of the afternoon planning on how they were going to deal with the situation when Kellen came home from school.

Gabe and Aria beat him home, their college courses getting out far earlier than Kellen’s high school. Gabe started to set up camp at the dining room table, pulling his calculus textbook from his bag and getting to work on the mountains of homework that he’d been assigned.

“Nerd,” Aria scoffed playfully.

“Hey Gabe, can you please work on your homework in your room?” Derek asked before he got too deeply engrossed in his work. “We need to talk to your brother when he gets home, which should be any moment now.”

Picking up an apple from the fruit dish on the counter, Aria bit into it before asking casually, “What did the Prince of Darkness do this time?”

“Don’t call him that!” Stiles snapped. “And it’s not for you to know.”

“Dad, we’re werewolves. We’re going to hear you yelling at him, so we’ll find out eventually.”

“Enough!” Derek snarled, his eyes turning red. “Both of you, please go to your rooms. We’ll let you know when it’s safe to come out.”

Gabe sighed and stuffed his textbook back into his bag before slinging it over his shoulder as he rose. “I don’t get why we’re being punished just because _he_ can’t behave,” he grumbled as he trudged upstairs behind his sister, leaving an exasperated Stiles pinching the bridge of his nose as he shook his head. Derek placed his hand on Stiles’ shoulder, attempting to comfort his husband.

“Nobody ever said parenthood would be easy,” Stiles sighed as he took a seat at his usual spot at the table. Derek sat beside him as Kellen came through the door.

He immediately saw the looks on his fathers’ faces and his shoulders slumped. He knew he was in for it. “Go ahead and do your worst.”

“I really don’t think you want that,” Stiles replied sharply. “What were you thinking?”

“I was thinking that I unfairly got detention and she deserved it!” Kellen replied defiantly. “Everyone thought it was funny.”

“Clearly not everyone,” Derek interjected. “You’re suspended from school.”

“Not to mention grounded beyond belief,” Stiles added.

“Anything else?” Kellen asked through gritted teeth.

“Yes, you’ll be cleaning up the school cafeteria by hand, no magic. Under my supervision,” Stiles said. “And you’re grounded from using magic for the duration of your suspension.”

“That’s not fair!” Kellen shot back. “Magic is a part of who I am! You can’t stop me from using it.”

Stiles rose to his feet with his temper. The photos on the wall began to shake and the light fixture above them began to flicker. “I think you and I both know that I can and if I need to, I will certainly make sure you follow my orders.”

Kellen pulled his hand back, blue crackling sparks appearing around his fingers. His nostrils flared as he stared at his father.

Stiles quickly made a complex gesture with both of his hands. “ _Partim magica vestri sum!_ ” The blue sparks around Kellen’s hand faded into nothing.

Kellen brought his hands down and stared at them. “Did you just take away my magic?” His eyes moved up to meet his father’s, looking back and forth between the two of them.

“I told you that I could, and I would. Next time you raise your hand to cast a spell at me, keep in mind that I’ve forgotten more about magic than you’ll ever learn,” Stiles snarled.

“When are you going to give me back my powers?” Kellen demanded.

“When you show you’re responsible enough to have them in the first place!” Stiles slammed his fist onto the table. “Go to your room.”

Once they were alone in the dining room, Derek let out a deep sigh.

“I shouldn’t have lost my temper,” Stiles slumped into his chair. “I can’t help but feel like I’m failing him”

“You’re not failing anyone, Stiles,” Derek quickly chided. “You’re an amazing father. But there isn’t a parenting guide on how to raise a teenager with immensely powerful magic. We’re doing the best that we can with what we have.”

Stiles exhaled deeply through his nostrils. “I don’t feel like cooking. I’m ordering takeout.”

After placing the order and going to retrieve it, Stiles went upstairs to get his kids while Derek laid out the food and set the table. “Dinner’s ready! He called. I got Chinese food! All of your favorites.”

Aria, Gabe, and Kellen responded with “Coming!”, “Be there in a second!”, and “Fuck off!” respectively.

Kellen’s seat remained empty throughout dinner and long after the meal had been cleaned up. Still, Stiles loaded up a plate with all of Kellen’s favorites and brought it up to his room. He knocked twice, and to his surprise, from the other side of the door, he heard the call of “Come in.”

Stiles opened the door to find Kellen sitting on the floor with five lit candles in a circle. “If you were trying to summon dinner, your spell worked.” Stiles watched his son fight the smile that rose involuntarily within him.

After a few moments of silence, Kellen admitted, “I was trying to summon my dad.”

Stiles got down on the floor next to his son and placed a hand compassionately on his shoulder. “Then it also worked.”

“I meant…” he began.

Stiles cut him off. “I know what you meant. You were trying to summon Peter. But he’s always going to be with you. You don’t need a summoning spell for that.” He passed the plate of food over to his youngest child. “I’m sorry I lost my temper earlier.”

“I’m sorry I acted like an asshole, too.”

“You know, I didn’t know about my magic until I was much older than you are now and in a lot of ways, that was a blessing. In just as many ways, it was a curse. I won’t pretend like I understand what you’re going through, because I don’t. But I want you to know that I’m always here for you,” Stiles said.

It wasn’t until he felt his son’s shoulders shake that he realized he was crying. “But you won’t always be.”

“Oh sweetheart,” Stiles cooed, wrapping his arms around his son, pulling him close as the boy sobbed into his chest. “Of course I will!”

“No you won’t,” Kellen sobbed as pulled away. “Because of the Forbidden Acts, you only have about 15 more years and then I’m on my own.”

“Wrong again, kiddo. You’ll have Derek. And you’ll have your brother and sister. They love you unconditionally… even when you’re being a giant shit,” Stiles told him. “And you know how to visit the astral plane, so you’ll still be able to see me and talk to me.”

After a few moments of silence between them, Kellen asked, “Would you give up all that time again?”

“If it meant having you three, absolutely. Using magic has brought me a lot of grief and heartache and casting the Forbidden Acts has resulted in some terrible consequences, but having you three kids is something I would never regret and I’d do it all over again if I had to,” Stiles assured him. Stiles closed his eyes and concentrated before saying a phrase in Latin. Kellen immediately felt his magic restored to him. To test it, he immediately conjured a ball of flame into his hand and extinguished it.

“Does this mean I’m not grounded?” Kellen asked hopefully.

“And now you’re 0 for 3. You’re definitely still grounded, but it’s not right for me or anyone, for that matter, to take away your magic. You were right earlier when you said that it’s a part of who you are. But do not ever try and throw battle magic at me again unless we’re training and sparring,” Stiles replied seriously.

Kellen’s face dropped a little. “Yes sir.”

Stiles pulled Kellen close once more and kissed the top of his son’s head before ruffling his thick, dark hair. “Since you won’t be at school for the next few days, I figured you and I can do some more magic and emissary training.”

“I’d like that,” Kellen replied in a small voice as Stiles rose to his feet and headed toward the door. “Hey Dad?”

Stiles stopped in his tracks, turning back to face his son. “Yeah?”

“I…” Kellen paused. “I love you. And I really am sorry.”

Stiles smiled warmly. “I love you too, sweetheart.”

* * *

Game night was well under way in the Hale household. All five were seated around the table, intently studying the Uno cards in their hands, waiting for their turn to make a move.

“Hey Dad?” Gabe asked.

Both Stiles and Derek replied, “Mhmm?”

“When you guys were dating, who chased whom?” Gabe laid down a card, making it Derek’s turn.

“Stiles, I think you should take this one,” Derek said, laying down his card. It was now Stiles’ turn.

“He’s a werewolf and I’m a human, obviously I didn’t chase him. Besides… I wouldn’t chase any man,” Stiles said, a grin coming to his face. “Now if that man is incredibly handsome and has muscles and a tattoo, I might just power walk.” He laid down his last card. “Uno out.”

Derek hid a chuckle as he laid down his cards. All three of the kids groaned.

“It really wasn’t an ‘I chase him, or he chases me’ sort of thing,” Derek clarified. “We had been through so much together that it just sort of happened. I had come to realize that Stiles was my anchor and the only thing that kept me grounded to my humanity.”

“And I had come to realize that I couldn’t imagine a life without my Sourwolf,” Stiles added, gazing lovingly at his husband.

“That’s so romantic,” Aria sighed dreamily.

“Except for the part where you almost got divorced,” Gabe added. “I was young, but I still remember that.”

Stiles sighed. “Every couple goes through rough patches and we’re no different. In our case, there was someone specifically trying to separate us because they knew that together, Derek and I were much harder to defeat.”

“So you’re saying that _love_ is what overcame all that?” Kellen asked skeptically.

“Exactly!” Stiles replied brightly. “Remember the trip you and I took right before your 10th birthday?”

“The one where I got to meet my other dad?” Kellen asked. Stiles nodded.

“Wait… Kel, you got to meet Uncle Peter?” Aria interjected.

Kellen nodded slowly.

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Gabe asked his brother.

“Or Uncle Chris?” Aria added.

Kellen shrugged. “I kind of wanted it to be something between me and him. When my magic started coming back, I had been travelling to the astral plane in my sleep and I kept finding him.”

Aria looked to her father. “Isn’t astral projection really difficult magic? How would he have been able to do that without even trying?”

“Every magic user has a form of magic that comes particularly easy to them. For me it’s battle magic. For Kellen, it’s astral projection,” Stiles explained.

“Have you gone to visit him since?” Gabe asked.

“Yeah,” Kellen replied. “He misses you guys.”

“What do you talk to him about?” Aria asked. She had fond memories of her uncle Peter from her early childhood.

“Pretty much everything,” Kellen answered. “I don’t visit every night, but a few times a month. It’s easier to travel on new and full moons.”

“Next time, can you tell him I miss him?” Aria asked, her voice cracking.

“Me, too,” Gabe added.

“You guys remember him?”

Gabe nodded, smiling “Yeah he was really cool. We didn’t talk about him to you, though, because it felt weird sharing all of these positive memories of someone you never got the opportunity to know…”

“So you can tell me stuff about him?” Kellen asked excitedly. His brother and sister nodded. Stiles reached over to Derek beneath the table and squeezed his husband’s hand gently as he watched his two oldest kids hug their younger brother.”

“One time he threatened to mash me like a potato and eat me,” Gabe said proudly.

Kellen burst out laughing. “This story, I’ve _got_ to hear!”

* * *

“So this is just like being the Avatar, then?” Kellen asked as he mimicked Stiles’ movements and allowed the water to swirl around him, moving back to his dad.

The comparison made Stiles freeze, causing the blob of water to fall to the ground, leaving it soaked. “I said the exact same thing!” he exclaimed. “Your dad had no idea what I was referring to.” Stiles used his magic to pull water from a nearby pond, suspending it in midair and causing it to flow back over to Kellen, resuming the activity they had previously been doing. “The way that the masters in Avatar taught the various bending arts is actually very much in line with how elemental magic works. With water, you must be cool and free flowing. Allow your magic to be as agile as water in a river but just as powerful and dangerous.”

They used their magic to push and pull the water back and forth until Stiles was certain that Kellen had mastered it. He then guided the water back into the pond so they could focus on a different element.

“Air is the most liberated of all the elements. To master control of it, you must be agile and quick… ever-present, but entirely unseen,” Stiles said as he began to move in small circles. Kellen noticed that the leaves scattered on the ground began to also move with his father. “Air is great defensively because you can use it to knock your opponent back with unrelenting force.” To show this, Stiles conjured a dummy out of earth before unleashing a gale of wind at it, sending it flying. He moved the dummy back into place. “But it can be a good offensive tool, as well.” He resumed his evasive, circular motions before chopping his hand through the empty space in front of him, sending a blade of compressed air toward the dummy. The torso was sliced at an angle, causing the top of it to fall down and crumble into pieces. “Control of air teaches you an important lesson in magic: just because you cannot see something, does not mean it cannot kill you.”

Kellen grinned as he watched his dad’s magical prowess on full display. He admired the control and restraint he observed. “Can I try?” he asked.

Stiles conjured another dummy. Kellen tried to recreate his father’s movements, but he wasn’t able to feel the element around him in the way he could feel the water nearby or the earth beneath him. The most he felt was a breeze, which he wasn’t entirely sure he could claim credit for. His face fell as he realized he had failed at it. He felt his father’s comforting hand on his shoulder. “Give it time and practice. It’ll come to you eventually.”

Kicking at the leaves, Kellen tried to let the disappointment fade but was distracted by a prickling sense that there was an intruder nearby. “Do you feel that?” he asked.

“Feel what?” Stiles asked, answering the question.

“There’s a stranger… a werewolf. But it’s strange, like he’s part of the pack…. But that can’t be right,” Kellen said.

“Wait, you can sense the pack?” Stiles asked, dumbfounded.

Kellen was even more confused. “You can’t?”

“No. That’s a werewolf thing.”

Kellen shrugged. “Maybe because I am technically half werewolf, I can sense the pack, even if I can’t wolf out.”

“Well let’s head back to the house and figure out who this stranger is,” Stiles said, heading in the direction of their home.

The trek back home was a quick and familiar one. A perk of living in upstate New York was that they could own a large swath of land that offered them privacy, in addition to a wonderful view. When they finally broke through the tree line, Stiles could see a tall, lanky blonde man with sharp features waiting for them. He was wearing jeans and a light sweater. A loose scarf pulled together the look. “Isaac?” Stiles called, upon realizing who it was.

“Stiles!” he called back before running to hug his old friend.

Stiles embraced him warmly. “It’s so good to see you! What brings you to our neck of the woods?”

Isaac’s body language changed immediately, becoming nervous and withdrawn. “I’ve been having weird dreams lately and I think they’re important… but they involve you and someone I don’t recognize…” Isaac then looked up, noticing Kellen for the first time. He immediately recognized the boy, even if he didn’t know who the boy actually was. “You… you’re the other person in the dreams…”

Kellen waved shyly, staying several paces behind his father.

“Isaac, this is my youngest son, Kellen. Derek should be coming back any moment with our two older kids. And dinner is going to be done soon, too. You should stay! Derek would love to see you,” Stiles said, trying to take the focus off of Kellen, whom he could see was growing very uncomfortable by the concerned and fearful way Isaac was staring at him.

They moved into the kitchen and Stiles put on a pot of coffee and checked the crock pot where Derek’s famous chili was bubbling ever so slightly. Its warm, spicy aroma filling the air. The adults chatted, mostly reminiscing and catching up on the things that had happened to them in the decades since they last saw one another. Stiles explained how he had come to master magic, have three children, and defeat an ancient werewolf/magician hybrid and trick the ultimate trickster god in the process. Isaac told of his travels through France and the rest of Europe, and the mostly nomadic adventures he’d been on. Occasionally, Isaac would glance sideways at Kellen in a way that was beginning to piss Kellen off.

Feeling his temper starting to rise, Kellen excused himself to his room until dinner was ready.

“Ah, the moody teenage years,” Stiles chuckled wistfully as he sipped his coffee. “I do not miss them.”

Isaac leaned closer to Stiles and lowered his voice. “My dreams involved him and… I think he might be in danger.”

Right as Stiles was about to reply, Derek, Aria, and Gabe walked in. Aria had a triumphant look on her face. “We were racing across the property and I won even against Dad in his full wolf form!”

“Dad, if you let her win, I will never forgive you because we won’t hear the end of this…” Gabe commented.

“I swear I didn’t let her win! I’m getting—” he paused as he saw who was sitting at the dining room table with Stiles. “Isaac!” He rushed forward and embraced his former beta in a tight hug. “It’s so good to see you!”

“It’s good to see you, too, Derek!” Isaac replied, hugging him tightly in return.

“I thought I smelled your scent as we approached, but I figured Stiles must have opened some of the boxes we have of yours that Chris left with us,” Derek said. “But Sit! You’re just in time for some of my world-famous chili.”

“Really dad?” Aria asked, raising her eyebrow. “It’s famous… the world over?”

Derek tilted his head in her direction, fastening a sarcastic smile to his face. “You can be grounded the world over.”

At that, Aria immediately snapped to attention. “I’ll set the table!”

“That’s what I thought.” Derek looked back at Isaac. “As you can see, I’ve got this parenting thing locked down.”

Kellen rejoined everyone for dinner but remained silent. Aria and Gabe took turns grilling Isaac about how Stiles had been in high school. After dinner, Gabe volunteered to do the dishes while Stiles and Isaac retired to Stiles’ study. Kellen stayed planted in his seat, visibly fuming.

“What’s wrong, Kellen?” Derek asked calmly.

“Nothing,” Kellen spat.

“Then why do you look like you could bite a steel beam and spit out tacks?” Derek asked.

“Because he hasn’t been in this house more than a couple of hours and he is already on my last fucking nerve!” Kellen shouted, pointing upstairs and leaving no ambiguity that he was referring to Isaac. “He keeps looking at me with this bizarre mix of pity and like I murdered his parents or something.”

“His dad was an abusive prick. If you had murdered his father, he probably would be quite appreciative,” Derek replied, trying to alleviate Kellen’s fear. His son’s next explosive sentence told him how much he failed in that attempt.

“You don’t fucking get it!” he shouted as he forced himself to his feet and stomped upstairs.

Derek let out a deep exhale before following him.

Gabe looked over at his sister. “He owes so much money to the swear jar…”

* * *

Derek didn’t bother knocking as he entered his son’s room. “Kellen, you can’t keep blowing up at us like that. We are your parents and you need to show us some respect.”

“That goes both ways!” Kellen shot back.

“What do you mean?” Derek asked, ensuring his voice was calm. “Please… if something is bothering you, it’s my job to try and fix that, but you _have_ to talk to me. Not just shout and storm off.”

“Fine,” Kellen replied tersely. “I don’t want him here. If you love me, you will go into dad’s study and ask him to leave and never come back. I shouldn’t have to feel judged by a complete stranger in my own home.”

Derek pursed his lips as he contemplated what his youngest son was telling him. He sat on Kellen’s bed next to him. “Kellen, I _do_ love you. The only way you’ll be able to know how much I love you is when you have kids of your own. And I’m sorry if you felt in any way judged or unwelcome in your home. That’s not cool and I can have a talk with Isaac about that. But he’s a part of this pack now, and he’s a part of this family.”

Kellen looked up tearfully at his father. “News flash, dad,” he said. His voice was cracking and barely above a whisper. “So am I.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! As always, I welcome comments and constructive feedback!


	2. Sibling Bonds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Hale kids spend some time together while their dads have date night.

Author's note to begin: I want to thank Jeremiah from one of the Facebook Sterek groups. He did some face app magic and then gave me permission to use the images as the character models for [Aria](https://ibb.co/4RdSCjT), [Gabe](https://ibb.co/yWmyy66), and [Kellen](https://ibb.co/6NXwjHD). Feel free to click the hyperlinks in their names if you want to get an idea for the visuals.

* * *

* * *

“You guys don’t have to stay with me the whole time. I know you probably want to do your own thing,” Kellen said to his siblings as they sat around a table, eating the hodgepodge of foods they got from the mall’s food court.

“Why do you seem so eager to try and shake us?” Aria asked as she dipped a fry into ketchup and brought it to her mouth. “Got a hot date and don’t want your big brother and sister cramping your style?”

Gabriel chuckled. “That would assume Kel has style we could cramp.”

“Look who’s talking, nerd!” Kellen shot back before answering Aria’s question. “It’s just that you two are in college and I figured it’s probably weird for you to be babysitting me.”

“We aren’t babysitting,” Gabe replied. “We’re hanging out… like siblings do. Besides… it’s date night for our parents and you may not have super hearing, but your bedroom is closest to theirs and I don’t think you want to have to unpack that with a therapist in 5 years.”

Kellen shuddered as that realization crossed him. Gabe had an exceptionally good point. “Then what are we going to do while we wait for the all clear?”

“There’s a new horror movie we can check out!” Aria suggested.

Gabe scoffed. “That’s such an awful depiction of werewolves. It’s actually kind of racist. The whole we’ll go wild and eat every townsperson in sight thing… very reductive.”

Aria slowly moved her hand around Gabe before turning to Kellen. “Hey Kel? Do you feel that? This sort of… black hole-like force sucking the fun from the universe? So strange that it’s coming from your exact location, Gabe!”

Kellen fought a laugh as he took a sip of his drink. The bit only served to further annoy Gabe. “Really?”

“Aria, I think I feel it again!” Kellen laughed.

Gabe rolled his eyes before furrowing his brow. In doing so, he looked remarkably similar to Derek. “If you two are done roasting me…” he lowered his voice. “Don’t be obvious about it but three tables to my right, there’s a guy there who keeps staring our way. I think he was following us through the mall, as well.”

Aria stole a quick glance, instantly stiffening. She inhaled deeply before turning to Kellen. “He’s right. I saw him in every single store we went in, usually a few paces behind us.”

“So what do we do? We can’t go home yet but we might not be safe here. Our dads would kill us if you two wolfed out or if I used magic in public!” Kellen whispered back, somewhat frantically.

Aria placed her palms on the table decisively. “I’m the oldest… I’ll handle it. If things escalate, run, and protect each other and for the love of God, do not separate. I’ll find you two through the pack link when after.”

Both Kellen and Gabe nodded. Pack hierarchy won out. Aria was the oldest and therefore she was in charge. The two brothers tried to inconspicuously watch their sister as she strode over to the stalker.

Aria made it a point to sit down at the table next to the man. “I’m going to ask why you’re following me and my brothers around. You get one shot to answer it and if I don’t like your answer, or I think you’re lying, it’s going to be very ugly.”

The young man gulped as he stared at the intimidating woman who sat with him. “I’m sorry!” he stammered. “I didn’t mean to freak you out… it’s just… I think your brother is cute.”

Aria, who had been listening to the man’s heartbeat knew he was telling the truth. Her demeanor changed immediately. “Oh! Well… which one?”

“I-I mean both are… and you’re quite attractive yourself, but I’m mostly into guys… but… in particular… that one,” the man pointed.

Aria could see that he was pointing at Kellen. “And how old are you?” she asked. As a werewolf whose aging had slowed significantly at the age of 16, she also had a difficult time judging the age of other people.

“Sixteen,” the boy replied.

“So I don’t actually know what team he plays on… so let me just check and if he gives the green light, I’ll waive you over. But here’s a bit of advice for future endeavors: just ask for the guy’s number instead of stalking them through a mall because you really creeped us out.”

“Noted,” the boy gulped again.

Aria returned to her feet and sat back down with her brothers. “Alright so good news! Not stalking us. But on a related note, Kel, are you into guys, girls, both, neither, other, or any combination thereof?”

“Both, I guess,” Kellen replied, somewhat flustered. “How is that on a related note?” he asked as he watched his sister gesture to the stranger who came over, holding out a napkin to Kellen.

“Hi, I’m Sam,” he said nervously. “I’m sorry for freaking you out… I just thought you were kind of cute and was hoping maybe you would text or call me if you felt the same… about me, that is.”

“Thank you,” Kellen replied, taking the napkin to see a phone number scrawled on it in pen.

“Well…” Sam said, giving an awkward wave. “Bye. Sorry for intruding.”

“Bye,” all three Hale siblings replied at once.

As soon as Sam was out of earshot, Gabe said, “You should text him! He’s just as awkward as you are. You’re totally soulmates.”

Kellen glared at his brother. “Shut up, Gabe!”

* * *

Stiles had been looking forward to date night for far too long. They always tried to have it at least once a month. It wasn’t so much about sex… they did that far more often than monthly. It was about connecting with one another and truly taking the time to enjoy one another’s presence.

The candles surrounding the bathtub were burned down to their mid-way points as the two of them sat in the warm, soapy water together. Derek was seated in front of Stiles with the latter’s arms and legs wrapped around him. The feeling of their skin touching as they simply relaxed and breathed one another in was simultaneously arousing and comforting. Derek had actually moaned a bit as Stiles had lathered the shampoo into his hair, massaging it and the conditioner into his scalp. It was a simple pleasure, but it was one that Derek particularly enjoyed.

They didn’t talk much during date night, Derek noticed. They didn’t need to. And Date night did always end in sex… the most wild and passionate sex they had, since they didn’t have to try and stay quiet or hope that Stiles’ muting spells remained in-tact during the throes of passion. They could be authentically them… together.

Derek leaned his head back onto Stiles’ shoulder. His lips ended up near his husband’s temple and he took the opportunity to leave a kiss on it. Stiles smiled. Derek had been letting his beard grow in and the rugged lumber jack look suited him well. Stiles had been on record many times in their marriage as saying he preferred the beard on Derek.

The slightest fleck of silver ran through the Alpha’s hair, but in a way that only made him look more distinguished and handsome—as if he could even get any more beautiful. Upon first seeing it, Talia had mentioned that Derek’s father had the same sort of streaks come in at the same age and that Derek looked more and more like him with each passing day.

“The water’s starting to get colder,” Derek finally said, breaking the quiet that had settled comfortably between them. Blue sparks instantly appeared at Stiles’ fingertips and the water returned to its previous temperature.

Derek chuckled. “That wasn’t what I meant… the kids are probably going to end up coming back soon…”

“Oh you want to move this to the main event!” Stiles replied with a grin. “Why didn’t you say so?”

Using magic, Stiles drained the tub in only a few minutes, leaving both of them completely dry in its wake. They moved to their feet, facing one another as Derek’s mouth attacked Stiles’. They traded passionate kisses back and forth as they made their way to bed, collapsing on it with Derek’s naked body writhing on top of Stiles’.

At this point in their marriage, Derek had learned how to play Stiles’ body like a finely tuned instrument. He could keep Stiles teetering at the precipice of ecstasy for hours if he wanted to. It was a game they played, one where both ended up winners.

As Derek slid inside his husband, he moaned into the human’s mouth. That first thrust was always the most exquisite to him. That first moment of their bodies becoming one, awaiting their souls merging as the event continued. He could feel the way his wolf hungered for it. Stiles’ body rocked beneath the varied thrusts, going from long and slow, to short and rapid, each one managing to hit exactly the right spot at exactly the right time.

Stiles had always thought the lovemaking at the beginning of their relationship had been intense. He was not prepared for what a couple of decades of marriage would do to it. Derek had a talent of outperforming each and every time. There was never a sexual rut with them because it was never _just_ sex to either of them. It was the purest and most profound way they could express their devotion to one another.

Wrapping his legs around Derek, Stiles drew his nails down his husband’s back as he pulled the Alpha’s torso impossibly closer to his. Their skin glistened with the patina of sweat as they moaned little nothings. He lost all countenance of time as they continued their passionate finally announced, “I think I’m gonna knot…”

“Good,” Stiles replied, reaching down to his husband’s waist, and trying to pull him further inside. Derek stopped holding back as he felt the base of his cock elongate and swell. His wolf instinct took over momentarily, desperately trying to get the knot inside his Mate, who was only too eager to receive it.

Once the brilliant burst of pleasure and pain hit him, Stiles felt his husband beginning to empty himself inside. This was his favorite part… the afterglow, where their bodies were still connected and likely would remain so for hours to come, leaving them to simply lie in each other’s arms, breathing in the scent of their sex.

Derek propped himself up and gazed into Stiles’ honey-brown eyes. A wisp of a smile illuminated his face as he leaned down and pressed his lips to his husband’s. He didn’t even have to say the three words that sprang to his mind. Stiles could feel it from the tenderness of the kiss and returned it in kind.

* * *

The three Hale kids raced through the woods on their way back home. Using magic, Kellen was able to keep up with the speed of his werewolf siblings with comparable effort. He was using a combination of earth and air control to propel forward. At one point, he was even winning, until he turned his head back to gloat at Aria and smacked painfully into a tree. He fell back and looked up at the small bit of sky visible through the canopy of the forest. Gabe and Aria raced to his side.

“Kellen, are you alright?” Gabe asked. He had his cell phone out, shining the flashlight in his brother’s eye, trying to check for a concussion.

“Turn that light off,” Kellen groaned, holding a hand up to shield his vision from it. “I’m fine… just… sore.”

“You were going at least 40 miles per hour when you hit that tree. We should have dad check you over,” Aria said, helping her younger brother sit up and lean against a nearby tree.

“I said I’m fine,” Kellen replied, trying to rise to his feet, but the moment he did, he felt dizzy and fell back down. “Ok, maybe I’m not fine. I’m gonna be in so much trouble for using magic like that…”

“We’re about a mile from the house. I’ll go ahead and get our parents and bring them back here. Gabe, you stay with Kellen. Don’t let him fall asleep,” Aria said before racing off.

Trying to keep Kellen awake and focused, Gabe began a conversation. “So are you going to call that Sam guy?”

Kel shrugged. “I might… but then again, dating a human with the kind of supernatural crap our family attracts is probably not the best idea.”

“As your big brother, can I give you some advice, Kel?” Gabe asked, his voice lowering and becoming quite serious.

“I’m in no position to be able to stop you,” Kellen replied.

“When I was in high school, there was a girl I was head over heels for,” Gabe began. He saw the look on his brother’s face and interjected, “And before you say it, I know you and Aria have your ongoing bet about whether or not I’m gay, but I’m straight.”

Kellen put his hands up in surrender. “Your identity is yours to choose. Just know, this is a safe space and I’ll love and support you no matter what.”

Gabe issued a low growl from his throat. “Shut it!” He then continued with his advice. “I wanted to ask her out to every single dance, event, and function we had through high school, but at the last minute, I’d stop myself for the exact same reason. It turned out, she actually really liked me, too. I wish I had never even learned that fact because now I wonder if I hadn’t been so focused on the supernatural part of our life if maybe she’d be my girlfriend… or fiancée… or hell… maybe even wife.”

“So you think I should text or call him?” Kellen confirmed.

Gabe paused and sighed. “I think you should do what feels right and comfortable for you… just know that regret about this sort of thing really sucks and you don’t get this time back.”

After a beat, Kellen replied, “I don’t say this often enough, but you’re a really good brother.”

“Wow, you really _are_ concussed,” Gabe joked, causing Kellen to laugh, but the movement of doing so triggered the youngest Hale to groan in pain. “Here, give me your hand,” Gabe said, and Kellen obeyed, moving his left hand toward his brother. Gabe allowed Kellen’s hand to rest palm-to-palm on his right hand before putting his own left hand on top. He closed his eyes and focused, drawing the pain away from his little brother and into himself. He winced a bit as he first felt it. Given how badly it hurt, he wondered how Kellen could even bear to talk at all.

Kellen sighed in relief. “That feels so much better. Thank you, Gabe.”

Gabe had reached his limit of how much pain he could draw and needed to stop. “If you need me to do it again, let me know.”

Kellen barely mustered a nod in reply. He felt sleepy.

“This way, I’ve got their scent,” Gabe heard his father say. He couldn’t be sure of the distance but knew it would only be a few minutes until they arrived.

“Our dads are on their way,” Gabe told Kellen. “Just try to stay awake.”

Derek was the first to arrive, with Stiles and Aria following close behind. Gabe gave the update. “I’ve been trying to draw off the pain, but I think he has a concussion.”

“You did great, Gabe, I’ll take it from here,” Derek said, patting Gabe proudly on the back. As an Alpha, Derek was capable of drawing much more pain than a Beta could. The relief was instant in the way it showed on his youngest’s face.

“It’s alright, buddy,” Derek cooed. “I’ve got you.”

Immediately moving to Kellen’s other side, Stiles got to work. His hands glowed as he worked on healing the boy. “How did this happen?” he asked.

Aria stepped up. “It’s my fault. I challenged them to a race. I shouldn’t have. It was too dark, and Kellen accidentally hit a tree going _so_ fast.” It wasn’t exactly true, and Aria knew that both of her dads knew this, as well. But she remembered how worried Kellen was that he’d end up in trouble for his use of magic. She’d shoulder the punishment so that he could focus on recovering, assuming Stiles wouldn’t be able to heal him completely tonight.

Taking his sister’s lead, Gabe also copped to some of the fault. “I coaxed him into using magic for some of the speed boost, too. I share the blame with Aria.”

“Kids will be kids,” Derek said, recognizing what they were doing. It reminded him of his childhood with Laura and Cora and the trouble they often found themselves in. The difference was that all three of them were werewolves and could heal. Kellen not so much. “It’s nobody’s fault. Aria, you did a good job coming to get us, and Gabe, you did well by staying with him and drawing off the pain. I’m proud of all three of you.”

The glowing in Stiles’ hand stopped. “I think I got the majority of it fixed. But Der, I think you should carry him back. And Kellen, I want you to take it easy the next couple of days, alright?”

Kellen grunted an acknowledgement. Derek gingerly picked Stiles up, the rest of the family working to support various parts of his body while Derek worked to get a secure hold that would cause the least amount of damage. “Just relax, Kel,” he told his son, softly. “I’ve got you.” Then turning to the rest of his family, he said, “I’ll meet you back home.”

Stiles nodded but indicated for his oldest kids to hang back. They did, bracing themselves for a lecture. To their surprise, Stiles hugged them both. “I know you both tried to cover for him and I’m not mad. I’m actually immensely proud of you both.”

Both of the older Hale children relaxed a bit. “We were just worried about him,” Gabe said.

“And I’m sure he’d do the same for us!” Aria added.

“You’re right,” Stiles nodded. “And that’s why I’m proud. You three kids are the greatest thing a parent could ask for and the bond you showed today… it makes me feel like maybe I did something right.”

Stiles couldn’t help a lump rising in his throat as his voice broke a bit. Both Aria and Gabe squeezed Stiles tightly.

“Come on, let’s go home,” Stiles said, once the hug ended.

* * *

The next day, at Stiles’ insistence, Kellen remained in bed, getting up only to use the bathroom. The rest of the time he slept. At one point, Gabe went in to check on him and, in a panic, called his parents in.

“There’s something off about him. I can’t tell what… but you need to check him!”

“Calm down, Gabe,” Stiles said as he approached his youngest son’s sleeping body. He put his hands out over the boy and closed his eyes. “He’s fine… he’s just travelling.”

“Then one of us should stay nearby to keep him safe,” Gabe insisted, eyeing his little brother anxiously.

“If you want to, feel free. If you need a change of guard, let one of us know,” Derek replied.

Kellen, unaware of any of this, was on the astral plane for the first time in a while. He was searching for a specific person. Normally, he was much better at finding him. Could he be hiding?

“Dad!” Kellen called as he navigated through a nearly endless sea of spirits, hoping to find the one belonging to Peter Hale. Most of them paid him no mind. “Dad! Where are you? I need to talk to you!”

“I’m here, son,” Peter replied, appearing nearby to him. In an instant, the nearby spirits vanished, leaving them alone. “It’s been a while!” Peter embraced his son and held him tightly.

“I need some relationship advice,” Kellen blurted.

This took Peter somewhat by surprise. “Kid, of your three dads, I’m the last one you should be going to for relationship advice. The only good advice I can really offer, I gave to you when you were a baby.”

“Well, I was a baby, so I don’t remember it,” Kellen replied, trying not to sound crestfallen.

“What was your question? I can try my best to help you,” Peter said, hating to see his son so upset.

Kellen sighed. “There’s a guy who likes me, but I’m worried about whether or not I should try to start something with him because we come from two completely different worlds.”

To Peter’s surprise, he was actually able to help his son quite a bit with this question. “Wouldn’t you say that Chris and I were from two completely different worlds? After all, he was from the founding family of Hunters and his father and sister killed nearly all of my family. Yet we fell in love and got married.”

“But you were only married for a day before you were killed thanks to other hunters,” Kellen replied.

“You’re focusing on the wrong part of that sentence, kid. The thing to focus on isn’t that I was only married for a day or that I was killed by hunters… it’s that I was _married_ to Chris. I don’t know how much you know about the kind of person I was… before. And honestly, I’d be ashamed if you did know. But loving Chris and loving you transformed and healed me in ways I thought were never possible,” Peter admitted. “And all of this was in spite of our huge differences.”

“So you think I should do it?”

Peter didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he considered the question before replying, “I think you should take whatever course of action you’re most comfortable with. You’re young. If you don’t think you’re ready to transverse the world of magic and werewolves and the world of regular high school dating, then don’t. I just would hate to see you miss out on something that could be amazing simply because you’re afraid.”

Kellen pursed his lips. “That’s what Gabe said.”

“Then you should listen to him. He’s got a good head on his shoulders,” Peter replied.

Feeling more comfortable with the choice he had to make, he hugged Peter once more. “Thanks, Dad!”

“Anytime, kid,” Peter replied.

When he returned to his body, he awoke with a gasp that startled Gabe, who had been playing Mario Kart on Kellen’s Switch. “Jeez! You scared the living shit out of me!”

“Sorry… I had to go talk to Peter about something.”

“Is that something a super awkward boy who gave you his number yesterday?”

Kellen rolled his eyes. “Yes.”

“And? What have you decided?”

“I was hoping you and Aria could help me figure out what to text him?”

Gabe grinned broadly. “You want us to be the puppet master?”

“No. Not if you’re gonna be a nerd about it.”

“Asking me to not be a nerd is like asking a fish not to swim! Let me go get Aria so the match making can commence!” With that, Gabe hopped out of the chair to fetch his sister. Kellen opened the messenger app on his phone and typed in the phone number scrawled on the paper.

> K: _Hey Sam! This is Kellen. I’m the guy from the mall yesterday_
> 
> S: _Hi Kellen. I was beginning to think you weren’t gonna text_
> 
> S: _I know this is kinda forward, but I was hoping that maybe you’d want to go on a date next Friday? Without your super scary sister?_
> 
> K: _Let me just check with my parents first to make sure it’s ok, but yeah. I’d like that_
> 
> S: _This week is gonna go by so slow_
> 
> K: _Why is that?_
> 
> S: _Well… I might have a date with a really cute boy I met yesterday_ 😊

Kellen stared at the emoji, a wide grin illuminating his face. This week was going to be slow, indeed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed these little vignettes into the Hale Family... felt nice to get some good moments in before shit really starts to go south! Please, please, please please, PLEASE leave comments! Your feedback fuels my writing process and it also helps me to understand if the things that I'm writing are hitting the way I intend them to. I also want to thank Jeremiah again for helping me with the character models for Aria, Gabe, and Kellen.


	3. Sweet 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kellen turns 16 and subsequently learns something about his boyfriend.

Their hands touched playfully as they walked down the road together. Kellen looked over at Sam and smiled. He really liked the boy a lot. They had been dating for a few weeks and had decided to make it official. They were _boyfriends_.

“Your parents are really going all-out for you, huh?” Sam said in response to Kellen describing the plans that were being put into place for his upcoming 16th birthday party.

“Yep!” Kellen replied. “Apparently, 16 is just a super big deal in our family. They did the same for Aria and Gabe. All my family is coming in from out of state… even some people in other countries.”

“I’d love to meet them eventually,” said Sam.

“Trust me… you wouldn’t. My family is crazy,” Kellen replied, using the same excuse he’d been using since it first came up. There was always too much of a risk of supernatural stuff when more than three Hales were gathered together. As the youngest, he had hoped he could completely separate his romantic life from his supernatural one. So far it had been working well.

Sam pouted playfully. “Then will you save me a slice of cake?”

“Of course!” Kellen replied.

The road they were walking down was an extremely long rural road. Only a few people lived on it. Namely the Hales and the Oscars, Sam’s family. A vehicle neither of them recognized sped past them, nearly clipping Kellen with its side-view mirror.

“Jesus Christ!” Kellen exclaimed. “Did you see that?”

“They could have struck you!”

“But I’m alright… Also… you know we could have taken the bus home and we’d actually be there by now…” Kellen pointed out.

“Yeah, but I can’t kiss you on the bus. We’d never hear the end of it from the other students,” Sam replied.

Kellen grinned. “But you haven’t kissed me this entire walk and believe me… I’ve been sending the signal.”

Sam stopped walking and tightened his grip on Kellen’s hand, pulling him close. Kellen loved this part… the moments right before the kiss. His stomach tied itself into an endless chain of knots as he awaited the soft feeling of Sam’s lips to touch his. It was always like fireworks when they did. He was helpless. It was simultaneously as hot as the sun and as cool as the void of space. He felt untethered by gravity.

When the kiss finally broke and their lips parted, he couldn’t help the goofy grin on his face. He always felt so happy after. They stood there staring at each other for a moment before Kellen once more grabbed Sam’s hand and they continued their walk.

As they rounded a corner and approached the turnoff for the Hale house, they saw the car that had nearly hit Kellen lying upside down. There was the faintest bit of smoke was coming up from the now-exposed underbelly of the vehicle. The faint screams of “Help!” could be heard.

Kellen began running. “We’ve got to help him!”

“I’ll call 911,” Sam replied, fishing his phone out of his pocket.

“There isn’t time!” Kellen said as he noticed a small flame moving its way to the gas line. If they waited for emergency services to arrive, the man would be dead. The only way to help him was with magic. “Sam, I can help this person, but I need you to close your eyes and turn away.”

“But why?” Sam asked.

“Just trust me. Please. It will save this person’s life. Just close your eyes and turn away,” Kellen pleaded.

“Okay, I trust you,” Sam said softly as he closed his eyes and oriented his body away from Kellen and the crash. Kellen moved quickly to the shattered window. He closed his eyes and concentrated. First, he needed to travel to get his dad. As his spirit left, his body fell limp to the ground. He appeared in the kitchen of the house where his dads were preparing dinner together. He was invisible to them.

He concentrated harder. He didn’t have much time. For the briefest moment, he appeared to them. “End of the road. Car crash. Danger. Please help!”

His energy waned and he was forced back to his body. He was drained and weak. He lacked the control to be able to slice the seatbelt and free the man without possibly slicing the man, too. Instead, he focused on what he _did_ have the control and strength for: putting out the fire.

With it likely being fueled by gas, he knew water would be ineffective. And he’d have to drain the water from most of the plants in the area to get enough to even dent it. Instead, he closed his eyes and began focusing on the air around him, pushing it to move and encircle the flame, cutting it off from the oxygen it needed to grow and spread.

“Are you done? Can I open my eyes yet?” Sam asked.

Kellen’s response was strained. “No. Please keep your eyes closed and keep looking away.”

He could feel the flame slowly dying. He hoped his message to his dads was received. He could feel the trickle of blood coming from his nose and ears as he strained himself. He wasn’t sure how much more strength he had left in him.

He felt the gentle touch of his father on his shoulder. “Relax, Kel,” he said. “You did great. I’ll take it from here.”

Kellen exhaled the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding in. He stepped back and watched his dad take over, masterfully manipulating the elements around them to finally extinguish the flame as Derek sliced through the straps with his claws and pulled the man out.

“His pulse is weak, but it’s there,” Derek said. He then looked toward Kellen and pointed at Sam, mouthing the words, “Who is that?”

“That’s Sam,” Kellen replied. “He’s my… my boyfriend. Sam, you can open your eyes now.”

Sam slowly turned around to see two men he didn’t know. He waved sheepishly. “Hi, Mr. and Mr. Hale. Kellen! You’re bleeding!” Kellen waved his hand as if to say “it’s fine.”

Derek straightened, his nostrils flaring ever so slightly. Had Stiles not been married to him as long as he had been, he might not have noticed. “Hello, Sam,” the Alpha said coolly. “You should probably head home. We’ll wait for the medics to arrive and let them know what happened. I wouldn’t want your parents to worry.”

Sam’s body language sank. “Oh,” he said. “Okay. Um, Kellan? I’ll see you tomorrow, I guess?”

“Yeah see you tomorrow,” Kellen replied. As soon as Sam was out of earshot, Kellen turned to his parents. “What the hell was that?”

“There was too much supernatural stuff going on,” Derek replied. “There was a risk we could have exposed our entire pack. As the Alpha, I have an obligation to protect you all.”

“You were rude to him!” Kellen protested. “What? Are you not happy about me dating a guy?”

“Kellen, obviously we don’t care that you’re dating a guy!” Derek snapped. “But you and your dad just used magic around him. That’s risky enough.”

“So what? I can’t be _me_ around my boyfriend?” Kellen countered.

“That’s not what we’re saying at all, Kel,” Stiles interjected. “But revealing these things to people doesn’t always go how you expect. And it can have implications for all of us.”

Kellen remained silent, but the look on his face and his body language said more than enough.

The police and emergency medical professionals arrived, questioned Stiles, Derek, and Kellen, before dismissing them to leave. They walked the long, winding driveway together, though Kellen remained several paces ahead of them.

Once they were alone, Stiles asked Derek, “Why _did_ you treat Sam so coldly?”

“He smelled like brimstone,” Derek replied. “It was faint, but it was there.”

Stiles nodded, questioning no further. He, too, knew that brimstone meant the kid had, at the very least, been dabbling with demonic forces.

“We can’t forbid them from seeing one another. That will basically ensure they stay together. But we _do_ need to be strategic and careful. You know what Diodotus said about him. The dark will call to him. And he’s about to get full access to his abilities,” Derek said.

Stiles sighed and nodded again. “You’re right. We just need to hope that we instilled enough good and light in him that he’ll be able to find his way through.”

With that, they entered the house and returned to preparing for Kellen’s upcoming birthday party.

* * *

The party was a large affair. Talia, Cora, Chris, Scott, and Stiles’ dad flew in from California. Alistair Nightborne flew in from the UK. Under both Werewolf and Magic custom, Kellen was an adult.

Stiles and Derek had spent all day cooking and baking. Aria and Gabe had helped with decorating.

Once everyone arrived, they began the festivities. Gifts piled on the table next to a cake decorated with the Triskele—the symbol of the Hale family and pack. They ate dinner with Kellen seated at the head of the table.

Nearly everyone gave Kellen the traditional 16-year-old gifts of a nice watch (given by Chris, the watch had been a gift he’d given to Peter at one point), a cologne, gift cards, except Alistair, Stiles, and Derek. Derek wanted his gift to go last, so he set it aside.

Stiles handled Alistair’s to Kellen, who carefully unwrapped it, as he did all the gifts he had received so far, revealing a box. Upon opening the box, Kellen’s face became riddled with confusion.

“What is it?” Cora asked.

Kellen picked it up, showing it to his family. “It’s a doll?”

Alistair let out a hearty laugh. “No, no, mate! It’s a _poppet_. Think of this like a voodoo doll you can use over and over again!”

Upon realize its magic uses, Kellen’s expression became one of excitement. “Oh! Thank you so much, Mr. Nightborne!”

Next came Stiles’ gift, which was a two-part gift. The first part was a book that had been enchanted to never run out of pages and only be visible to Kellen and those he gave permission to read it. “It’s a Book of Shadows for you to document your journey as a magic user. You’ll find that tweaks to certain potion recipes work best for you… or you’ll create rituals to do the things you need to do and might want to reference again later,” Stiles explained as Kellen thumbed eagerly through the pages. Stiles had taken it upon himself to fill up a few pages with some rituals and spells that are useful for any magic user to know.

The second item was in a much smaller box. Kellen recoiled somewhat as he beheld it. In the box, surrounded by a deep, rich red velvet, was a bone. “Why did you give me a bone?”

Alistair chuckled knowingly as Stiles explained. “This bone belonged to your Aunt Laura, Derek’s older sister. He and your grandmother gave me permission to give it to you to use to create a skeleton key.”

“And what exactly is a skeleton key?” Kellen asked, still deeply confused.

Stiles snapped his fingers and Kellen’s Book of Shadows opened to the page where the ritual had been documented. “The skeleton key is a tool every magic user should have. It will unlock any lock you have in front of you, even if it’s one that has been sealed by magic. I have yet to encounter a locking spell that a skeleton key can’t overcome. But for it to work, you have to make it yourself because it can only ever work for the person who carved it.”

Kellen smiled brightly. “Thanks!”

Derek handed Kellen his final gift. It was small and elegantly wrapped. Once opened, Kellen gracefully traced it with his fingers. “This is beautiful…” Upon seeing the wooden triskele medallion she had given Derek to teach him to control his shifts, Talia began to cry quietly in her seat, comforted by Chris and Cora, who were nearest to her.

“Kellen, this has been passed down in our family for generations. You are now an adult in the eyes of the Pack and in the eyes of the magical world. This means that there are going to be times when you feel disconnected or out of control and that’s okay. If that ever happens, take this medallion, and hold it tightly in the palm of your hand. I had Stiles enchant it so that when you do, it will amplify your Pack bond,” as Derek explained the gift and his reason for giving it, his voice cracked. Stiles ran his hand encouragingly along his husband’s arm, willing his strength and encouragement to the Alpha. “Your family—your _Pack_ —will always be here for you and will always be able to sense you anywhere in the world. As long as you have that medallion, you will never _ever_ be alone.”

There was scarcely a dry eye in the room as Kellen stood up and hugged his father tightly. Derek, returned the hug in kind. “I love you, Dad!” Kellen whispered.

“I love you too, Kel,” Derek replied, kissing the top of his son’s head before slowly releasing him.

* * *

With the party mostly died down, the kids and most of the adults went to bed. Stiles and Derek were up, cleaning but also talking with Alistair, whom neither had seen in an exceedingly long time. “It’s really great that you were able to come,” Derek said.

“I wouldn’t have missed it for the world,” Alistair replied, his Yorkshire accent getting stronger the more he drank. It was clear, though, that he had a hard time looking at any of them without the guilt of having caused Peter’s death.

After a few moments of silence, Alistair spoke again. “Listen, mates, I don’t mean to tell you how to parent, but I think you should keep an eye on him. There’s been whispers and I think they’re to do with Kellen. And if they are true, we may be facing a problem that would make the Nameless One seem simple in comparison.”

“Kellen isn’t evil!” Derek bristled.

Stiles put up a hand to stop Derek. “What do you mean?” His tone was not defensive or accusative. It was fearful and filled with a father’s desperation to help and protect his son.

Alistair moistened his lips and heaved a sigh as he eyed Derek cautiously. “There have been prophecies among the Fair Folk that say that a powerful young magic user will soon come into his prime heavily influenced by the darkest of forces.”

“What are the actual words of the prophecy, not the interpretation,” Stiles asked.

Alistair sighed again before recounting. “A child born of men, born of deceit and forsaken all bonds filial and fraternal and known of demon-kind. The Eternal Flame blackened creates the door. Pandemonium unleashed.”

“That doesn’t apply to Kellen!” Derek said defiantly. “And even if it once had, the medallion I gave him subverts it.”

“Derek, the night Isaac first came to stay with us, he told me about some dreams he’s been having regarding Kellen. He said that in the dream, he could see our family and behind Kellen was someone whispering to him and the more that person whispered, a wall began to rise separating Kellen from us. I don’t think that’s a coincidence,” Stiles confessed.

Derek deflated at that. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“You were already mediating tension between Isaac and Kellen and at the time, I didn’t think a lot of it. But having the prophecy and Isaac’s dream happening so closely to his 16th birthday, I don’t think we should ignore this,” Stiles said.

“I think it’s that brimstone kid,” Derek said. “Sam.”

“Even if it is, we’ve already said we can’t interfere with them. It will have the opposite effect that we want.

“So what do we do, then?” Derek asked. “And what does it mean by ‘the Eternal Flame blackened creates the door’?”

“They think it refers to a total solar eclipse. There’s one that will be happening within the next year and your house is in the path of totality,” Alistair said.

Stiles pulled out his phone and tapped feverishly on the glass screen. He paled when the information he was searching for appeared. “Derek,” he said, his voice weaker than he intended. “The eclipse is on Kellen’s 17th birthday.”

* * *

“How was your birthday?” Sam asked as they met up at the end of the driveway leading to the Hale house.

“It was magical!” Kellen replied. Aware that Sam probably didn’t understand why that word choice made him chuckle, even if it was at his own joke. His full magic was now released to him and there were moments he almost felt himself vibrating with its power.

It didn’t take long into the continuation of their walk for Sam to ask the question that Kellen had been dreading. “So… what was up with your dads?”

Kellen sighed. “Yeah I’m so sorry about that. I think he was just trying to be protective papa wolf or something, since I’m the youngest. I feel like he did the same thing the first time Aria brought a guy home.”

“What about your brother?”

“He’s actually never brought a person home. Until recently, I wasn’t even sure what team he played on. Honestly, I think my dads would be so shocked that he had a person to bring home that they’d forget to do the whole ‘protective parent’ thing,” Kellen replied.

Sam smiled but an awkward, uneasy silence fell over the two boys. “Hey Kel, if I ask you something, do you promise not to freak out?”

Kellen furrowed his brow as he looked over at his boyfriend. “Yeah.”

Sam let out a sigh as he steeled himself to ask the question building within him. “So when we were helping that guy on Friday and your parents came… there was a point that I sort of peeked. And I know I shouldn’t have…. But it almost seemed like your dad was… I don’t know… Using magic.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Kellen replied, perhaps a little too quickly. “And it’s not a question.”

A more awkward silence fell between them before Sam finally spoke again. “Let me show you something.” He pushed Kellen toward the line of trees that ran along the road they were walking down.

“What are you doing?” Kellen protested. “We’re going to be late and my dads will ground me!”

When they were far enough into the woods that there was no chance of them being seen by passersby, Sam turned to face Kellen. “This may be a little weird but… here goes nothing.”

Sam held out his right hand, palm facing toward the sky. He took a deep breath and then a ball of flame appeared in his hand.

Kellen stared at the ball of flame in his boyfriend’s hand, trying to process it. He was split. Part of him was screaming out to just deny his magic, but the other part was relieved to have a peer his age who would understand. Aria and Gabe were werewolves. They didn’t understand magic, and it was written into their DNA to actively recoil from it. They got headaches if they watched certain magics being performed.

Hearing his father’s voice in the back of his mind _It can have implications for all of us…_ Kellen stayed silent. The look on Sam’s face grew concerned and he extinguished the flame in his palm. “You’re not a magic user, are you?” Sam asked.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Kellen replied again, rather convincingly.

“I see,” Sam said, heaving a sigh. “I’m going to have to wipe this from your memory. I’m really sorry about what I’m about to do.”

Sam raised his hand, which began glowing a bright light and approached Kellen, who eyed it carefully. When it was clear that Sam had every intention of following through, Kellen shoved him. “Stay away from me!” The fear he felt in that moment tapped an inner wellspring of magic, sending a wall of solid air out form him in all directions. Sam went flying, landing with a hard thud nearly a dozen yards back. Birds that had been startled from their resting spots in the canopy of the forest all took to the air, circling around the two boys who stood face to face. Kellen’s eyes glowed brightly.

“You _are_ a magic user,” Sam said as he picked himself up off the ground. “And a pretty damn powerful one, at that.”

Kellen steeled himself into a fighting position. “You will _not_ mess with my head!”

“Kellen, calm down… it’s ok. I don’t need to. You’re just like me! Why didn’t you say anything?” Sam replied.

Slowly Kellen let his defenses fall. The birds that circled them flew away, leaving the boys as the only living beings in that part of the forest. “I don’t want to answer that question,” Kellen replied icily.

“That’s fine,” Sam replied, trying to ingratiate himself with his boyfriend. “I get it. Trust me. I’m sorry if I came across the wrong way. I’m just… to finally meet someone like me! I can’t tell you what a relief it is. Please… some part of you _has_ to feel the same way.”

Kellen eyed his boyfriend cautiously. “You were going to mess with my memories! That’s not ok! That’s number 1 on the boyfriend red flag rule!”

“I was trying to protect my secret… but I don’t have to protect it with you! I’ll never do anything like that ever again. I’m sorry, Kel. Please… can we just move past this and into the next phase where we’re boyfriends with magic?” Sam pleaded.

“Maybe,” Kellen replied, exasperated. “But I’m going to need you to give me a few days to think about this.”

“I can do that,” Sam said. “And I really am sorry, Kel.”

Kellen just nodded. “Go on without me. I’m not going to school today,” he said before heading off alone in the direction of his house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Please let me know what you think! The comments keep me motivated!


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